Interview: Robert De Niro on New Ventures, Movies & Documentary

4/24/2014 2:38PM

Legendary actor and entrepreneur Robert De Niro talks to WSJ's Lee Hawkins about his new vodka brand, his upcoming movies and the HBO documentary about his late artist father, Robert De Niro Sr., which explores his father's homosexuality.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... the euro was mostly known as the legendary actor but he's also playing a leading role in the business world with hotels and restaurants across the globe ... and he just called created a new got to bring it back to sixty one hundred I've talked with the Nero about his upcoming acting roles in movies he's working on with people like Martin Scorsese and recording artist usher ... we also discussed why and how such a private man who rarely grants interviews Erdoes celebrity endorsement deals is associating himself with the Prada ... here are excerpts of that conversation ... here in the movie ... about were burned on her in the US in Europe to play ... the train re re us so who is in legendary trainer Yes ... ushers in the movie yes tell me about that because you've done boxing movies people were obviously ... full of Jonathan Jakhu which is a Venezuelan director ... he ... wanted to do this movie under a and ... and ... and ... and wrote the script and worked very hard on it and ... hello trouble getting him a Asian filing we went to the place feel we should go which is Panama to make the movie is a well a welcome us with open arms ... to this movie about ... Icahn hero ... I mean the euro and and so ... it it it so I will see a whole bunch of great passion about ... the movie is ... and and and I'm hoping to find out the twelve for him for everybody ... I know and ... you gained sixty pounds ... famously for one role ... um how did you prepare ... for this one ... oh well I'm I read them to the ... studies that as my psycho bottom is allow material Andre ... are so you know old interviews ... um is used in magazines interviews on TV ... um I'm I'd ... talk to his wife been with her a few times ... to school I Stephanie ... and um ... I did miss some people I wanted some friends in his right is for the good ones too ... talk to or didn't but I ... know a lot of ... information about him ... I'm Adam actually those two amazing boys met him once of twice ... he has been so good to remember much about that did that help you stay lower demand in some ways because he made a strong impression on me didn't look like a train ... the trainer as we know ... traders who was more like a people described like a banker ... he was a very dignified ... Reserve ... and ... and ... and and well well respected ... I'm in the fide world ... get over twenty champion ... but I sure it isn't necessarily known as an actor for his in this movie ... yes and there's this phenomenon now ... where pop stars and athletes ... it rolls ... um ... you know I sure um you working very hard as both he and the ... pay your mirrors the poll for very very own washer ... wrote a beautiful attitude and the director Jonathan Jakhu voice ... saying what he felt about the character line one to play in what he thought he could do well well well was really terrific ... and I he he is to retrieve really work very hard ... these young guys when they come in ... and they work with Robert DeNiro there and to me ... um hold that lasts for about a day ... and then the venom against the workers you can gather here on Friday ... is there anything that you learn from the young actors ... all we are going to end in an auction of both work so hard to manage I didn't envy them in the ring because I had done that ... and they will know fall Friday ... I was going on forever my ... time and Joslin shooting launch a shoe ... and I'm it's a world for think they they really ... think they were very very disciplined ... so now I mean you've done some comedy ... recently ... do you wanna do more ... I enjoy it Yes ... the ... the agreement to me ... this and as comedy I like I would like the things that have comedy and drama in them and ... show the irony of situations ... where you can have a very dramatic ... the situation going on but there's ... an issue for irony in this family I leadership human too well ... Scorsese now ... D have a goal for ... any number of movies tonight to do with him ... well I'd like to do a few more in on our lifetime but ... you wanna live planning on doing this the face of BOE color to paint houses ... it's called the Irish and I hope it goes back to repay house above that's that's a small ... thing ... um and I'm going into it the Mario directed to pressure U pm and now she'll ... three of us ... and that and we will ... very likely the evening ... that's where the planning very seriously and do it ... he had a documentary that you show that Sunday the body about it was abstract expressionist painter ... um ... and that's going to come out this summer yes is coming out ... around father's day to be given ... its just before that I ... in June ... it sounds like it's a very touching ... documentary because ... you display ... his work in all your restaurant yes I understand there ... are no look practically nowhere right can you in ... the year ... Noble in ... downtown no ... one in Tokyo ... every day ... you did this mainly for your children and grandchildren ... I want my money I guess I wanted to make a documentary about ... so about my father so that the kids ... and to my grandkids his great grandkids with with with no dinner ... who he was when he was about ... and I kept his studio ... exactly manageable pretty much desire to maintain discipline kept it ... just about the way was when he passed away ... twenty years ago so ... one of the kids to see it on the dole gluten free she was the grandfather then again ... are you read the news is that his journal yes and in that the ... he reveals that he left his wife upon realizing his own search rally ... it wasn't quite that way weighted that's that's what ... this with us a movie version he just ... he left ... it ... because of the other issues they had been with the so-called Ryan was in the ... oh ... what did you when you do find out and ... thank you ... while I didn't always sure how the suspicion is from losing my own weekly ... and know him ... my my iam ... mother sort of intimate is ... that it was from Korea is ... located ... um ... among ... them ... eventually you'll come a ninety and again I wasn't ... going to hear much about it from her ... all all from him because he ... knows some of you and tell me about ... how did it impact you ... Ukraine ... too low ... compared to ... knowing what to know about seeing the way he was I can see that that might be something and that would be ... part of his who he is ... he did ... in part for the children of the grant of over how to help you ... well I always feel to it for me it was my responsibility to ... it to preserve from my father's legacy ... and ... so I wanted to a document about incentive than HBO took it and so on and I was happy about that ... um ... soba based news for the family and are now all we would be ideal for the now or two hours for my students wanted some footage that I've bought from someone who ... follow my father on the seventies that we we we use in the film not that much we don't use it ... and so we're lucky to have that ... because it does help and as with it ... and um but I was a kid I wanted to do the document we forgot to lay to accept his contemporaries some of his contemporaries are still with us some ... free and very much alive and well one of them ... they show that they will ... be able to be interviewed and other members of the family and so on ... and they got to hear what they think ... I'm you know I will place on the onthe dodo and have the screening and then they'll see it I think I ... don't know the the ... the participants have seen it actually did all family ago family ... you're about to open up a three hundred and twenty one room hotel in Manila yes ... tell me about this ... one my idea ... we ... do what what I was hard to woo party is that ... these hotels ... well Montalto is ... um ... would be asking us to ... put a noble restaurant in them ... tonight ... recap Stay Wall ... if we're ... going coldest problem putting an Nobu restaurant in these hotels to give them into a cache of credibility why don't we just ... try to do and Noble hotel on shelves ... the idea of an ... of that ... type of photo to me it seemed that in certain places where the pretty well ... I'm actually knows ... resistance the one ... thing I mean when you do it ... when you wanna do it into something different and what people expect to see you doing and as the restaurant's facto state ... well we just ... assume will find partners in each ... area ... territory of low and ... we didn't know when will spread that we wanna do this we've we don't want this to some ... so that's ... what's happening ... slowly ... was it hard to find partners probably won't Horowitz I mean is ... that at ... this time Ozawa will find more partners in Winnipeg Partners and home yet ... um ... with Jamie Packer the promotion ... Caesars Palace ... and some Vegas ... how did you get into entrepreneur ship was it something that when you are young ... you get inspired about it or ... cousin or your father was an artisan you mothers well ... he I don't think I ... mean I've always been one to act or direct ... and um ... but then these opportunities came along and I'd I'd um let's just take advantage of my noble and ... and I saw no one to Nobu ... years ago ... over twenty years ago and twenty five years ago ... and I should appear one open when I went to the city said his ... first press from a severe blow open a restaurant ... I was the one time is said and I've been many times after that ... to nibble on open restroom in New York ... just let me know you know this ... to me was a no brainer ... it seems that he really didn't leave yourself ... any other option when you are young because he really wanted to do it and guess what we do have died ... had kidnapped ... the dollar ... I don't know I mean I was lucky because I always manage to do some things keep going ... make enough moving you in my early twenties just manage to get through the year co creator of a new about the mine with a company called ESM was also in Australia yes the spirits company ... I've heard that you've been involved with everything ... down to even the design of the bottle ... um how long you've you've been working on that and how did it come together ... this was I I guess I was approached almost two years ago ... and ... they told me in ... about ten packets of users ... but didn't know ... how send some over to explain to you ... and he sent this ... Margaret didn't action to um ... to the state to New York ... and she took out all bunch of bubbles have to provide cousin ... the chase them and and this caught my attention to numbers ... it was good ... where in this calls for ... where celebrities are fighting ... to get ... what people call endorsement deals to get their names associated with product you've never ... associated union with the Consumer Prada ... no I mean I've done some areas of the year there but nothing ... nothing ... why haven't you ... I'd I do I use the ... I didn't want to that ... um ... and I became ... part of something like Noble or another ... of this is fascism by getting too involved in or into um ... I wanted to be an active ... participant in ... an all too I can from our side to ... support that but I just don't want to come and be paid is a somewhat in gold that I've done that ... but for a real important things and I'm ... I just in the ... Seminoles approached by some people who want to do a whole campaign which is very tasteful ... terrific idea ... and ... and then I sola to Arsenal article on the whole ... thing but I just don't want to ... pay the thank you buy in and ... and so ... it just wasn't worth it for me ... yet the same time and even though your brand is ... more mystique in ... under state ... in our ... over ... promoting yourself right and ... you've ... managed to be associated with these businesses ... and people in all ... this isn't in your own product ... yet mean that's that's what I that I know mommy that's one of the but not like on the face of it know that ... I'm ... it is just the ... lower with you and I ... like ... the thing is to work on its own ... no booze is great because it works on its own if it didn't you know we hear about ... celebrity restaurants all the time in all ... they may have to go by the way says because they're not up to par ... and um ... the same with anything that I can follow my hole that it would be ... nice to have a something special about it ... like it's the same lease them ... over the long been open ... what is the key speaking of restaurants when is the key to success in the restaurant is ... from your standpoint um yeah for good food ... the period ... food and that that nobody ... what are ... some places can have ... played ok for them it's the atmosphere of the whole feel of the places ... and that's a different indoor places like that ... you you like to go there even if was not great it's good it's ... more than adequate but not not like Noble if we leave ... from a great ... Robert DeNiro thank you very much ... and with Robert DeNiro I'm Lee Hawkins Phoenix ...